PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Mahnomen County is a sparsely populated, rural area located in Northwestern Minnesota. The county is unique in that it is located entirely within the boundaries of the White Earth Indian Reservation. During the past five years, Mahnomen County has experienced high rates of alcohol-related traffic crashes, combined with low seat belt and child restraint use. Contributing to this alarming situation, was the fragmentation of local law enforcement efforts. According to state law, the Minnesota State Patrol and the Mahnomen County Sheriff's Office lacked jurisdiction over certain types of traffic violations committed by Native American motorists on the reservation. At the same time, White Earth Tribal law enforcement officers were limited in their ability to enforce state criminal laws within the boundaries of the reservation.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to reduce alcohol-related traffic crashes, and increase the use of seat belts and child safety seats on the White Earth Indian Reservation, the Mahnomen County government joined with the White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians to create a Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement in 1999. Objectives of the Agreement are to:

• Establish a process by which county officials and the White Earth Band can work together cooperatively to enhance public safety on the White Earth Reservation

• Provide the ability for county deputies to process violations of Tribal regulatory offenses in the Tribal Court

• Enable Tribal officers to enforce state criminal violations in the State Court

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
County and Tribal officials developed the Mahnomen County Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement to provide enhanced patrol coverage and enforcement capability utilizing existing resources. Under the terms of the agreement:

• Both agencies were empowered to provide enforcement action for observed violations

• Virtually doubled the law enforcement presence within Mahnomen County, and increased the risk of apprehension for traffic violators

• Enabled the two agencies to engage in joint enforcement operations

• Provided the capability for mutual aid response to incidents that required additional resources

• Fostered increased cooperation and communication between the two agencies

RESULTS
During the first six months that the Mahnomen County Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement was in force, substantial results were achieved. Impaired driving arrests increased significantly, through the use of multi-agency saturation patrols. In addition, an informal seat belt use survey conducted in early 2000 indicated a 28 percent increase in seat belt use countywide (from 59 percent to 87 percent).

As a result of the success of the Mahnomen County Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement, additional Minnesota counties and the Minnesota State Patrol have signed similar agreements with Native American tribal governments. These agreements, coupled with Minnesota's existing .10 BAC, seat belt use, and child passenger safety laws, provide a national model for other government entities with Tribal lands within their respective boundaries.

NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

WINTER 2001